Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has begun making concessions to lenders to refinance the debt of UK‑based cybersecurity company Sophos, seeking to calm creditor worries about the impact of artificial‑intelligence developments on the business.
Marija Kolak has led the Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken for almost nine years. Several cooperative banks recently needed to be rescued by the sector’s support fund, and Kolak announced she will leave her position at the end of 2027.
European banks are issuing higher‑risk debt at historic low yields due to strong investor appetite for high returns, with Santander, BBVA and Unicaja among 39 entities that have entered the market in the first half of the year.
The interest rate decision in Berlin is being used as a platform to assess Bundesbank chief Joachim Nagel’s suitability for the ECB presidency, with high‑profile appearances such as a gala dinner with the Chancellor and a speech before the Federal President highlighting his candidacy.
Spanish lender BBVA announced a plan to raise €13 billion to support the expansion of its credit portfolio. To fund this, the bank has boosted its debt issuance to a record €11.675 billion, reflecting strong loan demand that has outperformed forecasts.
Deka, which supplies fund services to the Sparkassen network, is trying to undercut competitors by offering a retirement‑savings depot at a very low cost of 0.1%, intensifying the price war among German savings banks and neobrokers.
The British bank HSBC announced the shutdown of its German division, cutting over 300 positions as part of a strategic shift to concentrate on Asian markets.
Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court sentenced former Swiss bank lobby chief Pierre Mirabaud to a two-year suspended jail term after finding him guilty of bribery and money laundering related to payments made to a Kuwaiti official.
Deutsche Bank agreed to a settlement with ex‑investment banker Schiraldi, ending a dispute in which Schiraldi claimed the bank owed him €152 million. The settlement amount was not disclosed but is reported to be €152 million.
Christian Bettinger, who oversaw the investment strategy for interest‑rate securities and managed more than one billion euros at a Hamburg private bank, is moving to a newcomer fund boutique in the city.